Shipping Service: Duluth-Superior, Mobile, Wilmington (DE)

Duluth-Superior: First ‘Saltie’ of 2016 Season

The Port of Duluth-Superior received its first ocean-going vessel of the 2016 season on Sunday, April 3, when M/V Albanyborg passed through the Duluth Ship Canal and beneath the Aerial Bridge on its way to the Clure Public Marine Terminal for an overnight docking.  

The following morning a delegation of dignitaries headed by Duluth Seaway Port Authority Executive Director Vanta Coda assembled on the ship’s bridge for a brief welcoming ceremony and presentation of gifts to the ship’s master, Capt. Igor Bunenkov.

The 472-foot Albanyborg, which flies the flag of The Netherlands, was the first "saltie" to arrive in the Twin Ports this year after transiting the full length of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway system. It also was the first foreign-flag vessel to enter the Seaway after it opened on March 23. The 17,500 dwt multipurpose carrier, part of the Royal Wagenborg fleet, made one stop along the way to deliver wind turbine components from Germany to Port Colborne, Ontario.

Albanyborg spent Monday docked at Clure while bulkheads were erected inside its cargo hold to prepare for loading grain. It then proceeded to the CHS terminal on the Superior side of the harbor where it loaded 10,000 metric tons of spring wheat between intermittent snow showers before setting sail for Italy.  

Mobile Gains New Shipping Service to Asia

Maersk and MSC will be offering containerized cargo shippers a new weekly service between the Port of Mobile and Asia beginning May 2, 2016.  

The direct, all-water service will link the Alabama seaport with the ports of Qingdao, Ningbo, Shanghai, Xiamen and Yantian in China and Busan in South Korea.  

Maersk and MSC are members of the global 2M Alliance, which allows shippers to book cargo either through the Maersk TP18 service or the MSC Lone Star Express Service.

"We are pleased that the world’s two top container shipping companies chose to add the Port of Mobile to its U.S. Gulf/Asia service. This service adds much needed capacity and cost efficiencies for Alabama businesses and industries shipping to and from China and Korea," said Jimmy Lyons, director and chief executive officer of the Alabama State Port Authority.

The port authority has invested more than $200 million in container intermodal investments at its Choctaw Point Complex, including the $50 million Intermodal Container Transfer Facility that is scheduled to open in May. The port authority’s partner, APM Terminals, has also invested $150 Million in the container terminal and recently announced an additional $47.5 million container terminal expansion to be completed by year end 2017.
 
"Our investments, coupled with a year-round 45 foot draft channel and a new Panama Canal, positions the Port of Mobile to capitalize on new service offerings between Asia and the U.S. Gulf," said Mr. Lyons.  

The Alabama State Port Authority owns and operates the public deep-water port facilities at the Port of Mobile, handling some 26 million tons of cargo and more than 200,000 container TEUs annually.

Port of Wilmington (DE) & Trans Global Shipping Sign New Long Term Chilean Fruit Agreement

The Diamond State Port Corporation and Trans Global Shipping NV recently reached an agreement by which Trans Global Shipping will continue to use Delaware’s Port of Wilmington as its mid-Atlantic import Chilean fruit distribution hub for the next five years.

"The Port of Wilmington is our destination – critical not only to our organization but also to our customers," said Francisco Labarca, managing director of Global Reefers. "We are very pleased that we have concluded this agreement that will enable us to grow with Wilmington in the many years to come. Wilmington has been a great partner for us and we look forward to an exciting future together!"  

The agreement also includes an on-going two-year lease renewal option that effectively creates a continuing port service agreement. The agreement extends a relationship that dates back to 1994 and promises service continuity into the foreseeable future.

"The port is extremely delighted that Trans Global Shipping has renewed its terminal agreement with Wilmington, continuing our historic relationship," said Port Executive Director Gene Bailey. "Trans Global is a vital customer, especially with respect to man-hours worked and as a result, produces a significant economic impact to not only the port but also the State and region."

Chilean fruit is stored in the port’s 800,000 square-foot on-dock refrigerated warehouse complex pending distribution to Canada and the eastern United States. The port received more than 18.6 million boxes of Chilean fruit in the 2014-15 season, a 10 increase from 2013-14. The trade supports more than 916 family sustaining jobs and annually generates $50 million in personal income, $54 million in business revenue and $5 million in tax revenue for the state and the region.

"Delaware’s trade relationship with Chile goes back almost 40 years, even before the current contract was in place, added Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock, the chairman of the Diamond State Port Corporation. "This new contract will take that successful partnership to a new level, and is the result of a tremendous effort on the part of the port’s workforce and our management team.  As we develop plans for how to expand and grow our port in the future, the Chilean fruit business will be a cornerstone of that effort."